Rail anchor



June 17,1930." c. G. ERICSON 1,764,011

- I R'AIL ANCHOR Filed June 24, 1929 4 Shets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY June 17, 1930. c cso 1 ,764,011

RAIL ANCHOR Filed June 24, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 23 l 21 21 2? I 1? 32 31 v 18 1.9 I 2m k @wmflmnuu'unyu 0 //v VENTO f?" June17, 1930. QQERICSON -1,764,011

RAIL ANCHOR Filed June 24, 1929 4 SheetsSheet 3 28 1 U I I 30 lNl/ENTOE By /2 I ATTORNEY June 17, 1930. c EIRICSON 1' 1,764,011

RAIL ANCHOR Filed June 24, 1929 4 Sheets$heet 4 2.5 a .31 1P 2 24 .v k

a0 v as 2.9

,w v/v 70/? ATTORNEY Patented June 17, 1930 I'lE ST'TES RAIL ANCHOR Application filed June 24,

The present invention relates to rail anchors for preventing rail creepage, and more particularly to anchors of the one-piece type that are adapted to be sprung into firm gripping engagement with the rail base.

ne piece rail anchors constructed to be sprung into gripping engagement with a rail base have been proposed heretofore, but in many of these prior devices the construction 1c is such that the spring action relied upon to hold the anchor in firm gripping engagement with the rail exerts continuously upon the rail engaging elements approximately the maximum gripping force, and the structural embodiment employed did not lend itself to an increase in the gripping action transversely of the rail as the load thrust increases. As

a result the inevitable metal fatigue of the anchor was accelerated by this high tension and by the varying load thrusts produced by the tendency of the rail to creep, causing the anchor to gradually release its firm grip upon the rail.

In other construct-ions proposed heretofore no provision is made for yieldingly absorbing load thrusts of'exceptional magnitude and as a result the rail anchor either breaks or is forced bodily lengthwise of the rail by the excessive rail creeping forces, and

in either case these rigid ornon-resilient rail anchors are incapable of springing back to their original position upon the rail to resume their rail holding function.

In still other constructions employed heretofore, overhangingjaws are provided at each end of the rail anchor which are required to be sprung or bent over the edges of the rail base flange to hold the anchor in place, but these anchors are difficult to apply to and remove from the rail and are likely to be subjected to excessive strains during their application or removal from the rail.

The present invention seeks to overcome the above mentioned objections to the rail anchors proposed heretofore, and is directed to a strong durable construction which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, is easy to apply to and remove from a rail without the use of special tools, is adapted to exert a continuous spring gripping action 1929. Serial No. 373,198.

upon the-rail which prevents possibility of the anchor being accidentally disengaged from the rail, and which will not move rela. tive to the rail when subjected to average or normal creepage load thrust but has an end portion that is capable of increasing the frictional bite and spring energy of the entire rail anchor device by a slight movement lengthwise of the rail under a load thrust of exceptional magnitude and which end, due to its position of angularity in relation to'the rail flange embracing jawson the opposite end, will automatically spring back to its original position when relieved from the exceptional displacing load thrusts.

One of the important features of the present invention resides in a one-piece resilient rail anchor having a shank adapted to extend transversely of the rail in abutting engagement with the under face thereof, and having a plurality of jaws adapted to engage the up per face of the base fir nge and hold the shank firmly against the under face of the rail. As a result of this construction the spaced overhanging jaws hold the shank so firmly against the under face of the rail that it is unnecessary to provide the shank with overhanging flange-engaging means at its opposite end. This makes the rail anchor easy to apply to and remove from the rail;

Another feature of the invention resides in a laterally extending resilient arm at then}?- posite end of the shank from that of the over-c hanging jaws, and which extends from the shank in the direction of the On-coming traftie and abuts firmly against the edge of therail base flange with a spring action that serves to maintain a constant firm grip upon the rail. This arm is also adapted to'resiliently absorb the load thrust of exceptional magnitude and, due to its peculiar construction and position relative to the aws on the opposite end and the transverse shank memher, it will react to spring back to its original position when relieved. from this excessive longitudinal load thrust.

Still another feature of the invention residesin a one-piece rail anchor whichmay be readily formed of sheet metal by shearing and bending operations, and more specific features of the invention reside in the construction and arrangement of the overhang ing jaws provided at one end of the shank for 'firmly engaging the upper inclined face of the rail base flange. 7

Other features of the invention and novel a combination of parts in addition to the above will be hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate good, practical forms of the invention.

In the drawings,

' Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rail anchor constructed in, accordance with the present invention and shown as secured to a rail in position to abut against a tie; v

. Fig. '2 is a vertical sectional view through a'portion of the rail base showing the engagement of the overhanging jaws of the rail an- 'cho'r therewith;

Fig. 3 is'a side elevation of. a rail anchor blank which has been cut and is ready to be bent into final shape;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a rail anchor formed from the blank shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. is a side elevation of the portion of I the rail anchor attached to the rail base;

Fig. 9 is a top plan View of Fig. 8, showing the rail anchor in normal abutting engagement with the tie; I

i Fig; 10is a view similar to Fig. 9, but shows the right-hand portion of the railanchor as shifted lengthwise of the rail by the pressure against the tie;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of a modifiedtype of rail anchor blank;

Fig. 12 shows the rail anchor formed from theblankofFig.11;-

Fig. 13 is a top plan-view of the rail anchor of Fig. 12; and

. Fig.1 1isa top plan View of a further moditied type of rail anchor.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is the wheel engaging. portion of a rail'of'us'ual construction,11 is the rail base'fiange that is connected to the upper portion 10 ofthe rail by'the centrally disposed upstanding web 12, and the rail base 11 is provided with the usual upper inclined face 13 and with the "opposite vertically disposed 'edges'l i.

l Vhile the rail anchors disclosed in the drawing may be formed of sheet metal by relatively simple cutting and bending operations, it will be apparent that these rail an chors may also be forced or otherwise constructed. I

Referring first to the rail anchor construction shown in Figs. 1 to 10, inclusive, the rail anchor consists ofa shank 15 adapted toeX-.

tend transversely of the rail, in position to rest firmly against the vertical face of a tie 16 as shown, and this shank is provided with an upper edge 17 which is adapted to rest firmly against the bottom or under face of the rail base. The shank 15 is preferably made relatively wide so that it will extend downwardly a substantial distance from the under face of the rail to provide a tie engaging element of relatively large area.

The rail anchor shank 15. is provided at one end thereof with a plurality of overhanging jaws, three jaws being shown in the em- .one entire upper corner ofthe blank being.

cut away lengthwise of the blank well toe wards the central portion thereof, and the edge of the rail anchor 17 adapted to abut against the under face of the rail is formed by providing the central portion of the blank with arelatively long cut extending lengthwise of the blank, aswill be apparentxfroin Fig; 8. This cut extends a" substantial dis.-

tance under the remaining upper portion of v the blank,and the upper portion of the blank is further cut away along the angularlydis- 7 posed lines 18 and 19 to form a clearance space for an edge portion of the rail base flange l1 and to provide the overhanging jaws 20 and 21; The jaw 20, it will be noted, lies directly over the shank 15 and extends inwardly a substantial distance towards the central vertical web 12 of the rail to engage the upper inclined face 13 of the rail base at a point disposed inwardly a substantial distance from the rail edge 14. The second or auxiliary jaw 21 is formed 'by'bending that portion of the overhanging metal having the inclined surface 19 away. from the rail. web 12 to form the jaw 21 which is disposed in lateral spaced relation to the aw 20and.

is connected to the latter by the arcuate portion 22. V. I

The third overhangingfljaw above" mentioned is formed by bending the left-hand end portion of the blank shown in Fig. .3 back and 6, to provide the inwardlyextending end upon itself, as will. be apparent from; Figs. 4

portion of the rail anchorin which the 23 is formed by providin inthis end poi tionthe relatively deep notch or recess 24 formed to provide a clearance space for the edge of the railba'se flange, and also to provide the jaw face 25, adapted to engage the upper inclined surface of the flange, and. the

jaw face 26 adapted to engage the lower or under face of the rail base. The jaws above described should be so constructed that they may be forcedinto rigid gripping engage ment with the rail base flange, without abutting against the vertical edge l l of the rail base and the rail anchor is therefore provided with the clearance spaces 27 and 28 adapted to clear the vertical edge 14 of the rail base.

As above stated it is important that the overhanging jaws shall serve to hold the edge 16 of the shank firmly against the under face of the rail base flange 11, and it is therefore desirable that the first-mentioned jaw shall extend inwardly a substantial distance from the rail edge 14: and grip the upper inclined flange of the rail base adjacent its inner end. To insure this the flange engaging face 18 of the aw 20 is normally disposed at a slight angle to the inclination of the upper surface 13 of the base flange. For example, if the upper face 13 of the base flange is disposed at an angle of say 14 to the under face of the rail, then the face 18 of the jaw 20 should be disposed at an angle of about 11 to the upper edge 17 of the rail anchor shank. This will not only insure the engagement of the aw 20 with the rail base flange at a point inwardly a substantial distance from the edge of the rail, but will cause this jaw to spring upwardly slightly when subjected to a pronounced gripping action, to accommodate itself to the inclination of the upper surface 13 of the rail base.

It is desirable that the flange engaging surface of the overhanging jaws 20, 21 and 23 be staggered slightly with respect to a horizontal plane to subject these jaws to a tortional twist as they are forced into gripping engagement with the rail base flange to thereby increase their gripping action upon this flange. This is accomplished by forming the lower surface 19 of the jaw 21 so that it extends downwardly at a greater angle than the surface 18 of the jaw 20, as will be apparent from Figs. 2 and 5. This causes the outer end portion of the surface 19 of this auxiliary jaw to extend an appreciable distance below the surface 18 so that this jaw, which is obviously more resilient than the jaw 20, may spring upwardly to accommodate itself to the inclination of the upper face of the rail base as the jaws are forced into gripping engagement with the rail base. Likewise the jaw engaging surface 25 of the jaw 23 is preferably disposed slightly below the surface 18 of the jaw 20 to cause this jaw to be subjected to a tortional stress as it is forced into engagement with the rail base flange to increase its gripping action upon such flange.

It will be seen from the jaw construction just described that these jaws will engage the rail base flange with a powerful gripping action, and since the three jaws are spaced from each other lengthwise of the rail this gripping action will be disposed over a relatively large area, all of which will serve to hold the upper edge 17 of the shank very firmly against the under face of the rail base. v

The rail anchor is provided at itsopposite end with a laterally extending arm 29 which is preferably given the arcuate construction shown, and this arm 29 extends away from the tie 16 in the direction of the on-coming trafiic. The outer end 30 of this arm is adapted to abut firmly against the vertical edge 14 of the rail base and the upper face-of this arm 29 is therefore formed so that it extends upwardly near its outer end a substantial distance above the upper edge 17 of forced upwardly against the under face ofthe rail by the overhanging jaws 20, 21 and 23, the outer end of the arm 29 will tend to spring upwardly into abutting engagement with the rail edge 1e and will move to this iosition as soon as the rail anchor has been shifted transversely of the rail far enough to cause the upper face ofthe arm 29 to clear the under face of the rail.

VJ hen it is desired to secure thera-il anchor of the present invention to a rail, this is readily accomplished by placing the rail anchor by hand in the position in which it is shown in Fig. 7, whereupon the overhanging aws may be forced into rigid gripping engagement with the rail base flange by striking with a spike maul or the like upon the rounded left-hand end portion 33 of the rail anchor, and at the same time exerting a prying action upon the opposite end of the rail anchor by inserting the small end of a track bar or track wrench in the clearance space provided between the inner face of the arcuate arm 29 and the edge of the rail to thereby cause the outer end of the arm 29 to spring outwardly into abutting engagement with the rail edge as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

The shoulder 32 is normally inactive, and lies in spaced relation to the edge of the rail base as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, it being in tended that this shoulder shall engage the edge of the rail only when the rail anchor is subjected to a retrograde movement which will shift the rail anchor diagonally of the rail to an increased angle from that in which it is shown in Fig. 9. This shoulder 32, while normally inactive when the anchor is secured to the rail, performs an important function in facilitatingthe removal of the anchor from the rail in that it serves to hold the shank 15 out of engagement with the under face of the rail when the rail anchor is being removed. This will be understood by pointing out thatthe rail anchor may be removed from the rail by striking downwardly I in an inclined direction upon the upper surface of the arcuate arm 29 to force the upper faceof the shoulder 32 into engagement with V "the under face of the rail whereupon the outor end 30 of the arm 29 may be moved downw'ardlyentirely out of engagement with the edge'14 by delivering one or more additional blows to the upper face of the arm29 to force the rail anchor to the positionin which it is shown in Fig. 7, whereupon it may be readily removed by hand fromthe rail. It will be apparent from the construction so far described that the resiliency of the arm29 and shank 15 serves to hold the outer end 30 of this arm against the edge of the rail with a strong spring action that pre vents any possibility of the rail anchor becoming accidentally disengaged from the rail. In most cases a grlpping action of the overhanging jaws upon the rail base flange will be sufficiently rigid to prevent movement of these jaws relatively to the rail when therail anchor is subjected to aload thrust of exceptional magnitude with the result thatwhen an excessive load thrust is exerted upon the rail anchor the shank Willflbe bent or bowed from the position in'which it is shown in Fig. 9 to the position in which it is shown in Fig. '10, whereupon the outer end'3O of the arcuate .arm will automatically increase the spring will be assisted by the vibrations imparted to 7 portion of the blank shown in Fig. 3 formclamping action and gripping forces of the rail anchor on the rail in a ratio substanti'ally equivalent to the increase, in the creepage load. When the rail anchor is no longer subjected to this exceptional load't-hrustthe resiliency of the rail anchor will, cause the parts to spring back to the normal position in which they are shown in Fig. 9 and this return of the parts to the normal position the railby therolling stock.

' The auxiliary jaw 21 it should be noted, is offset from the vertical plane of the rail anchor shank away from the on-coming trafiic, and lies over the anchor engaged tie 16. As a result of this arrangement the arm 21 will oppose any tendency of the rail anchor ,to rock about its upper longitudinal edge-17 under the tie pressure.

i111 some cases it may be found unnecessary toemploy all three of the overhanging jaws shown in Figs. 1' to 10 inclusive'in which case the modified construction shown in Figs. 11, 12 and13 may be employed. This modified construction it will be noted differs from the three jaw-construction above described only in that the jaw 21 has been omitted and this is readily accomplished by cutting away that ing the arm 21, as V will be apparent from Fig. 11, and it will be seen that the blanks shown in Figs. 3 and 11 may be identical except, that the portion of the blank provided in Fig. 3 to form the auxiliary arm 21 has been cut away in the blank disclosed in" Fig. 11. The overhanging jaws 20 and 23,

and the arcuate laterallyextending arm 29, of the modified construction shown in Figs.

11, 12 and 13, may be formed as above described in connection'with Figs. 1 to 10' inclusive and may operate-in themanner above 7 set forth.

In Fig. 14 of the drawing a still further modified construction is shown, in which a sin le overhan in aw 34 is, rovided u on g D a J gagement with the upper inclined face 13, of the rail base. This modified construction 01 Fig. 14 may be applied to and removed from the rail in the manner abovedescribed, V

and the end 35 of the arm 36 is'maintained in firm abutting engagement with the edge 14 of the'rail by the resiliency of the web 39, shank 38, and arcuate arm 36.'

It will be seen from the foregoing that each 7 of the rail anchors herein shown and described is comparatively simple and inexpen ,sive to manufacture, and maybe easily applied to and removed from arail, and it will be understood that the grip which, the rail anchor exerts upon the rail will increasewith the load thrust exerted upon therail anchor by the creeping rail. It will also be understood that when the rail anchor is relieved from a load thrust of exceptionalmagnitude,

it will spring back to its original position withrespect to the rail. "The, direction of traiiicover the rail is indicatedbythe ar'row of Fig. 1.

' Where the rail anchor is provided with. T

three-jaws at one end, such as illustrated in Figs. 4, 9 andlO, one of the jaws, such as 21,

Y is positioned laterally of the shank over the cooperating tie, while the other jaw 23 is at the side of the shank away from the tie.

vVhen it is desiredto useonly two jaws con 1 nected at one end of the shank, the present infvention contemplates that the auxiliary jaw 23 which is retained in'the two-j aw structure when the aw 21 is removed as described, shall extend in a vertical plane laterally of the shank away from the cooperating tie.

What is claimed is: 1 .1. A rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base and I provided at one end with three integral jaws positioned to extend over the rail base flange a substantial distance and engage the upper inclined face of said flange with suflicient force to hold the shank firmly against the under face of the rail base, and means at the opposite end of the shank for engaging the base flange at the opposite side of the rail.

2. A rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to abut against a tie and provided at one end with three integral laterally spaced jaws positioned to extend over the rail base flange a substantial distance to engage the upper inclined face of said flange with sufficient force to hold the shank firmly against the under face of the rail base, and means 'atthe opposite end of the shank for engaging the base.

flange at the opposite side of the rail.

3. A rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to abut against a tie and provided at one end with three laterally spaced aws adapted to extend over the rail base flange and engage the upper inclined face of said flange at a substantial distance from the rail edge to hold the shank firmly against the under face of the rail base, and an arm at the other end of the shank adapted to be sprung into abutment with the rail edge.

At. A one-piece rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to abut against a'tie and provided at one end with three laterally spaced jaws adapted to extend over the rail base flange a substantial distance and engage the upper inclined face of said flange to hold the shank firmly against the under face of the rail, and a laterally extending arm at the opposite end of the shank adapted to be sprung into abutting engagement with the edge of the rail in non-overhanging relation.

5. A rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base and provided at one end with three integral aws all adaptedto extend over the rail base flange and engage the upper inclined face thereof to hold the shank firmly against the under face of the rail, one of the jaws being positioned above the shank and the other two jaws being positioned at the opposite sides of and in spaced relation to said jaw, and means at the opposite end of the shank for gripping the rail base flange at the opposite side of the rail.

6. A one-piece rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base 7 to abut against a tie and provided at one end with a jaw positioned above the shank and with a second jaw spaced laterally from the first jaw in the direction of the on-coming traffic, each jaw being formed to extend inwardly from itsconnection with the shank over the rail base flange a substantial distziiice toward the central web of the rail to ei'igage the upper inclined face of the rail base and hold the shank firmly against the under face of the rail, and an arm atthe opposite end of the shank extending in the direction of the on-coming traffic and adapted to be sprung into abutting engagement with the edge of the rail in non-overlapping relation therewith.

7. Arail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base and provided at one end with three laterally spaced jaws extending over the rail base flange to engage the upper inclined face of said flange and the jaws having their flange engaging faces normally offset slightly from the horizontal plane to cause them to exert a strong spring gripping actionon the rail flange to hold the shank firmly against the under face of the rail base, and means at the opposite end of the shank for gripping the rail base flange at the opposite side of the rail.

8. A one-piece rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to abut against a tie and provided'a-t one end with a jaw positioned above the shank but ofl-set from the planeof the shank in the direction of the on-coming traflic and adapted to extend inwardly over the upper inclined face of the rail base flange to hold'the shank firmly against the rail base, and an arm at the opposite end of the shank extending in the direction of the on-coming traflic and adapted to be sprung into abutting engagement with the edge of the base flange in nonoverhanging relation. r

9. A rail anchor-consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base and provided at one end with three jaws positioned to extend over the rail base flange and engage the upper inclined face thereof to hold the shank firmly against the rail base, said jaws consisting of a central j aw having one end portion bent toward the upright central rail web to form a second jaw and having its opposite end portion bent away from said upright web to form the third jaw, and means at the opposite end of the shank for gripping the rail base flange at theopposite" side of the rail.

10. A rail anchor consisting. of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base and provided at one end with three integral jaws positioned to extendover the rail base flange and engage the upper inclined face thereof to hold the shank firmly against'the rail base, said jaws consisting of a central jaw and jaws spaced from the opposite sides thereof and connected to cause the central jaw to form the central portion of the letter and the jaws spaced therefrom to formthe end portions of the letter S, andmeans at the opposite end of the shank for gripping the rail base flange iat the opposite side of the adapted to extend across the rail base and; 'provided' at one end with three laterally spaced jaws positioned to extend over the "rail base flange and consisting .of an intermediate aw having a second aw connected to one end thereof and a third aw connected to the opposite end thereof and the jaws having'their flange engaging faces normally 10 V r base flange with a powerful spring action to disposed slightly out of alignment to cause them to engage the upper inclinedfaoe of the hold the shank firmly against the under face of the rail base, and. means at the opposite end of the. shank for grippingthe rail base flange.

12. A. blank out to form a one piece rail anchor andconsisting of a sheet of metal having approximately a rectangular configuration'withoneentire uppercorner cut away len thwise of the blank well toward the'central'portion of the blank, said blank being further cutaway by a straight out extending lengthwise of the central portion of the blank and under 'asubstantial part of the remainingupper portion of the blank to form a rail engaging surface adapted to; abut against the. under face'of the rail base, said remaining upper portion of-the blank being further cutaway at its oppositeedgestoform deep ra1l flange-recelvingslots thereln, and. the

"opposite end of'theblank beingcut to form an arm adapted to rest against the rail edge 7 in non-overhanging relation therewith.

' 13..A blank cut toform a one-piecerail anchor and consisting of a sheetof metal hav- 1 ing a'pproximatelya rectangular configuration with one entire upper cornercut away lengthwise of the blank well toward the cen-' tral portion of the blank,' said blank being further cutaway by a straight out extending lengthwise ofthe central portion of the" blank and under a substantial part ofthe,

remaining upper [portion ofv the blank to forma rail engaging surface adaptedto abut engaging jaws and havingits outer edge out away to form afthird overhanging flange engaging jaw, and the. opposite end portion 1 of the blank being cutito'form a railedge i shank extendingacross the rail base diagon and. r

engagingabutmentat the end of theblank; I 145, A one-piece railanchor comprising a ally to the longitudinal axis of the rail 7 cooperating tie, -three jaws at the... end i of Tee,

substantial distance and engage the, upper v cient force to hold the shank against the un-' der face of the rail base,a laterally curved arm endoftheshank which bears against I n i the shank which is out of contact with the tie to extend over the railbase 'fiange a inclined'surfa'ce of said flange with sufithe tie having, its end in; firm i gripping en' gagement with theedge of the rail base at a point diagonal with relation to the said jaws so that the end of the arm will automatically increase the gripping action of the rail anchor on the rail base in a ratio substantially equivalent to the increase in the creepage load.

' 15. A rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail baseto abut against'a tie and provided at one end with a plurality of laterally spaced overhanging jaws to extend inwardly a substantial distance overthe rail base and to engage theupper inclinedface thereof to hold the shank against the rail base and oneof said jaws having a lower aw member spaced laterally from the shank and adapted to engagefthe under surface of the IEt1l.bfl$6,,-1I1Cl an arm extending laterally from the opposite. end of the shankto bear against the rail edgein non-overlapping relation. therewith. 16. A one-piece rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to abut against a tie andprovidedat one end with ajaw positioned above the shank and with a'second jaw spaced laterally from the first iaw'in thedirection of the on-coming. 'tratiic, a third positioned below thesecond'jaw and adapted to be forced upwardly against thelower face of the rail base withagainst the under face of the rail base, said remaining upper; portion of he blank being further cut-'aWayalOng inclined linesabove said straight out to form a rail flange clearance space and a pair of overhanging flange- 

